It
was in 1820 that the first news came flying in of a pigeon competition.It involved a new kind of pigeon, the "Belgian" or "Gante"
pigeon, the actual racing pigeon, created about five years before by Belgian
fanciers and breeders (most probably in Antwerp).

It
was the first time that the competition or races were done just for sport, like
an art or science to find out how to train and prepare the best birds to help
them to increase their orientation capacity and flying resistance.

Racing
pigeons became popular very quickly, especially in Belgium where it is still
considered a national sport, with more then 150,000 fanciers and breeders' licences.
Though there are less then 10,000 in Spain, a good number of them are in the
Balearic Islands.

From
there, this new kind of racing pigeon was introduced to Spain, France, England
and Portugal, etc., as well as the art and the feeling for the competition.

Soon,
and initially with the help of the national armies (all racing pigeons are under
the army's control; In case of war or a big national crisis, they can be confiscated
and taken under the army's command) new races and competitions were organised
in these countries. At first the competition was among different clubs or societies
that then competed for the province or county, the winners then competing for
national and international titles.

There
are different kinds of races and several competitions or championships, differing
rules that have been changing with the times, different distances and tests
of speed or resistance. There can be one winner of a particular race or the
accumulation of points by different birds or in different races.Judging is also according to the age of the pigeons, whether the race
is over land or if the birds have to cross the sea, the importance of the race,
local, provincial, national or international.

The
most difficult race for the pigeons is over long distances over the open sea,
when it is as deep or deeper then 2,000 metres, especially together with strong
winds. Then the pigeons seem to lose a good deal of their orientation. This
happened in a maritime race organised by the Balearic Federation in July 1957,
when a boat took 602 racing pigeons to be released 109 miles out in the open
sea, Northeast, towards Nice in France. None of the pigeons came back and this
race was cancelled for the future.

Since
1985 the Spanish National Championship has consisted of seven races. Two "speed"
races (Velocidad) of more then 200 Kilometres, two "middle distance"
(Medio Fondo) races of more then 350 Kilometres, two "long distance"
(Fondo) races of more then 500 Kilometres, and one race, "Grote Fond"
or "greater distance" (Gran Fondo).

Longer
distances, (super-greater distance) of 1,000 Kilometres, or more, can be adapted
to special races and international events, such as the one in 1996, one of the
longer races organised, so far, by the Balearic Federation, from Lisbon (Portugal)
of more then 1,000 Kilometres.

Since
1997, there are in Spain, races on the mainland and races from the islands,
which can be a little bit shorter, about fifty Kilometres less, because of the
sea difficulty. Also, in the Balearic competition, the pigeons can fly from
anywhere in the Continent, most from Mainland Spain, as long as the official
distances are respected. But it was not until 1955, that the Balearic pigeons
could fly back from a distance of 400 Kilometres, (middle distance) from Lorca
(Murcia), so, here we can see how much and how fast the progression has been
in those years.

Normally,
one-year-old birds start with the speed, in short or middle distances races.
The best ones keep competing when they are two years in the long distance and
three years for the best ones in greater distance races. Sometimes pigeons are
very good at a certain distance, but they don't progress to longer distances.

Next
year's World Championship of racing pigeons will be celebrated in Eivissa, with
the name of "Eivissa Grand Prix." It is being organised by the local
pigeon fanciers and breeders of the three Clubs or Societies on the Island.

The
first one to be founded was the "Sociedad Colombofica Ibicenca" in
1927, by a group of friends, old "Colombofilos" (racing pigeon fanciers
and breeders) in the City of Eivissa. It was officially registered on the 23rd
May 1928, but it was not until the 7th July 1943, after the Spanish Civil War,
that it was integrated into the "Federación Colombofica Balear" (Balearic
racing pigeons' federation).

Some
of the documents of its foundation were lost in those years, but we know most
of the names of the pigeon fanciers, Juan Planells Tur, "En Basetas"
Juan Planells Cardona, "En Rey" José Prieto Planells, "En Prieto"
and Joaquin Rigal Perello. The first president was the local priest Mariano
Escandell Roig.

In
the beginning, this group of friend use to meet and do the office work in different
bars, "C'as Begaix", "bar Roig", "bar Alhambra"
and "bar Pereira" by Eivissa's main square "Vara de Rey"
until the society bought their own place, the social club, in Eivissa Town.
In 1988, the society changed its name to "Club Colombofilo Eivissa".

Historically
this club has been highly successful in provincial, national and international
competitions and championships.

In the
provincial competitions, the "Club Colombofilo Eivissa" have been
the Balearic champions in the following years:

1996:
Concurso Especial "Larga Distancia", organised
by the Balearic Federation, over a 1000 Kilometres, from Lisbon (Portugal) (greater
distance) with 130 pigeons, 87 of them from Mallorca, 43 from Eivissa, Angela
Costa Ferrer, was second.

The
"Club Colombófilo Eivissa" have also participated and organised important
and popular events, such as the "VIII Exposición regional" (the exhibition
of the winner-birds and the awards ceremony) in 1972, again in 1977, the "XIII
Exposición regional" and the "XII Expocisión Nacional" and again,
together with the other two clubs of the Island, the "XXIV Exposición Nacional"
in the Hotel Abrat, in Sant Antoni. In 1998, the "XXXIII Exposición regional".

The
Spanish racing pigeons' federation, "Real Federación Colombófla Española"
have honoured the "Club Colombófilo Eivissa" with the silver and the
gold medal for consistency. (The Information about the "Club Colombófil
Eivissa" is from the book "Un siglo de Colombofilia en las Baleares"
by Sebastian Mas Veny. Palma de Mallorca. 2000).